The Shellman Grand Complication - It's Toki-Doki!

It's funny looking back on the past 32 years. My wife Wendy and I met while teaching English in Japan. We got married and returned to the suburbs of Tokyo way back in 1994 - coincidentally the first time the US hosted the World Cup. I was not really so into watches at that time. I had two Tag Heuers - both quartz. One was the F1 7-Eleven model which I bought for myself just before my final 3 terms at U of O. The second was a Tag Heuer Professional (I believe) that I bought myself as a graduation present about 9 months later. that was the watch I was wearing when we met, when we got married, and later returned to Japan. Where it promptly died. At first the hope was a new battery would do the trick (spoiler alert - it didn't). I ended up trading it at a Tachikawa pawn shop for a Rado Green horse and borrowed 4000 yen from Wendy to pay the difference. 

My rationale was then - quartz is bad, mechanical will work, just move your wrist...

And ironically, with age I have discovered that I am not as keen to keep setting and either winding (hand wound) or jump starting (automatic) watches. And I'm not even talking about complications ; )

I has often been theorized that had the technology been available, Abraham Louis Breguet would have worked with quartz. And if you think about it, it makes sense. It is the most accurate time keeping, you don't have to wind and set it, etc. Just grab it and go.

One other thing - and this is about ease of use. I have always loved the idea of a grand complication or a minute repeater (or both), but several hurdles blocked my path:

• Cost
• Complexity of setting and re-setting 
• Convenience (see above)
• The high likelihood of breaking the watch while trying to set, re-set, or simply use
• Maintenance

When I first encountered the Shellman, it was a bit of a misfit. Because it was quartz, and because it was not from a "known" watch maker, it got short shift. Some said it was a "house" brand as Shellman is, in fact, a jeweler/ watch seller. And I filed it away and didn't think about it for some time. And then I came across postings on Instagram from Ms.GMT who owned at least one Shellman and raved about it. 

I dove down the rabbit hole, reaching out to Shellman directly only to be told (very politely) that it was only available in Japan. And while I love Japan and would also love a reason to visit, it was not likely that I would lay hands to one. But then by happy coincidence a brand participating in The HYPE was in Japan for a slightly extended period. I reached out and (rather shamelessly) pleaded with them to try and locate one. We agreed to the "trade conditions" and a few weeks later I was introduced to my erstwhile obsession when I took possession in New York.

I will be sharing my impressions over the coming weeks and months as I get to know her, so stay tuned.